CHRISTMAS TIDE, 361 



DEC. 26, St. Stephen, the first martyr, a.d. 269. 

 St. Dionysius, pope and confessor, 269. 

 St. Jarlath, 1st bishop of Tuam, 6th cent. 



Obs, St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles 

 to manage the public fund for the relief of the poor, and to attend to minor 

 ecclesiastical occupations. He is called the protomartyr or the first martyr 

 or witness of the >Iew Testament; for, although St. John the Baptist was mur- 

 dered on account of the testimony he bore concerning Christ, he died before 

 the consummation of the Old Law. St. Stephen having charged the Jews 

 with the murder of Jesus Christ, he was stoned to death in the year 33. 



Among the many superstitious practices which popular ignorance assign to 

 St. Stephen's Day may be reckoned the absurd custom of sweating and bleed- 

 ing Horses. 



The custom of annual donations at Christmas and on New Year's Day is 

 very ancient, being copied by the Christians from tlie Polytbeists of Rome at 

 the time the public religion was changed. These presents nowadays are more 

 commonly made on the morrow of Christmas. Fiom this circumstance the 

 festival of St. Stephen has got the nickname of Christmas Boxing Day, and by 

 corruption Boxing Day. 



In London, and in many other parts of Europe, large families and establish- 

 ments keep regular listsof tradesmen's servants, apprentices, and other per- 

 sons, who come about making a sort of annual claim on them for a Christmas 

 Box on this day. 



But this season is particularly dear to children, who anxiously count on their 

 little Christmas Boxes for months beforehand. So in the Kinderlied or 

 Child's Song: 



Now Christmas is come, and now Pappy's come home, 



With a Pegtop for Tommie; a Hussif for Sue; 

 Anew bag o' Jlarbles for Dick ; and fur Joan 



A Workbox; for Phoebe a Bow for her Shoe ; 

 For Cecily, singing, a Humraingtop comes; 



For dull drowsie Marie a Sleepingtop meet; 

 For Ben, Ned, and Harry, a Fife and two Drums; 



For Jennie a box of nice Sugai plumbs sweet. 



Mr.Strutt, in his Manners and Customs, vol. iii. 14", gives us, from a manu- 

 script in the Harl. Library, Wbl, an enumeration of Auntient Customs ia 

 Games used by Boys and Girles, merrily sett out in verse : 



Any they dare chalenge for to throw the sledge. 



To jurape, or leape over ditch or hedge ; 



To wrastle, play at Sioole Ball, or to runne ; 



To pich the Barre, or to shoot of a Gunne ; 



To play atLoggets, Nine Holes, or Ten Pinnes; 



To try it out at Footeball, by the shinnes ; 



At Ticktacke, seizenody. Maw, and Ruffe; 



At Hot Cokles, Leapefrogge,or Blindman's Buffe. 



To drink the halper Pottes, or deale at the whole Cann ; 



To play at Chesse, or Pue, and 1 nkehorne ; 



To daunce the Moris, play at Barleybrake, 



At all exploits a man can think or speak ; 



/\tShove Groate, Venter Poynte,or Cross and Pile, 



At beshrew him that's last at any stile; 



At leapinge over a Christmas bonfire, 



Or at the drawing Dame out of tlie Myer ; 



At Shootecocke, Gregory, Stooleball,and what not ; 



Pickepoynt, Toppe and Scourge to make him hott. 



Purple Heath Erica "purpurea still fl. 



